Given access permission on a file (whether it be public, or shared privately) is the uploader’s (public) ID irrevocably attached to the data map entry of that file? Phrased differently: Given permission to access a file, could you always know what ID uploaded the file?
I think the answer is yes, but I did want to clarify. Any explanation of how/where it’s stored would be much appreciated.
Never. The datamap points to the chunks and does not store any ID’s at all.
Your only access to the file is the datamap, lose that and the chunks are not connected to anything. Also the owner etc etc is not attached to the “meta” data of the chunk in the vault either.
The only ID stored in “meta” data of the chunk is a creators payment ID. But this does not have to be used anywhere else and is not returned to the user using that public file. Looking at the chunk in the vault and its all encrypted.
Are you sure? I don’t think that even this is true. The creator has to get close-group consensus to PUT, but once the close group has established account clearance to store, it gives the authorization to PUT, and that’s the last connection to the storer.
At least, so I understand.
Pay the creator feature
======= Huh? ==========
The start of what David proposes
Okay. That’s a topic under discussion that I wasn’t aware of.
We’ll see how it comes out.
But in any case, it would be an anonymous payment ID and not a user ID. Might leave some exposure, though.
Yep, as noted 
There should be no exposure unless some one says they put it there. The payment ID is not passed back with the data, as there is no use for that. Just like farming rewards, pay the creator/producer is separate from the data delivery